Desk.



J. F. DUNLEAVY.

Patented Apr. 21, 191i 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. P. DUNLEAVY.

DESK.

. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7, 1912. Patented Apr. 21, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES OFFICE.

JAMES FRANKDUNLEAVY, or NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DESK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Application filed October 7, 1912. Serial No. 724,235.

- and State of ltlassachusetts have invented new and useful Improvements in Desks, of which the following a specification.

My invention relates to roll'top desks and it has for its object to improve the construction of desks of this clas My improved desk comprises a body made with one or more tiers ofdrawers; a master drawer preferably provided with a keyoperated lock a flexible roll top, and means for locking the roll top and tier of drawers in their closed positions, said locking means being controlled and operated by the master drawer so that when the latter is opened the roll top and tier of drawers are unlocked and when the master drawer occu pies its closed position it maintains or renders said locking means operative.

Other features of my invention are hereinafter pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 'is a vertical sectional view of a roll top desk embodying one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Having reference to the drawings 1 represents the frame of DIy lIHPI'OVGCl desk, 2 the flexible roll top mounted in guideways on. frame 1, 3 the master drawer and 4, l, 4:, and 5, two tiers of drawers mounted within and at each side of frame 1 as usual. The master drawer 3 occupies the position of the usual middle drawer and is slidably mounted in frame 1 between the two topmost drawers t and 5 in the usual fashion. The master drawer 3 is provided near its inner end with two laterally projecting studs 6, 6 cooperating with the cam shaped or inclined ends of two levers 7 fastened rigidly to a rock shaft 8 journaled at its ends in frame 1. The levers 7 carry a bar 9 on which are pivotally mounted the upper ends of two lock bars 10, 10 which are held against sidewise or lateral displacement by pins 11 engaging slots 12 provided in brackets 13 fastened to frame 1. Each lock bar 10 has connected with it the lower end of a spring is whose upper end is fastened to one of the brackets 13. The lock bars 10 are provided with laterally projecting hooks 15, one for each drawer d and 5, adapted when in engagement with the inner ends of said drawers, as shown in Fig. 1, to

lock said drawers in their closed positions.

The masterdrawer 3 is provided with a key operated lock 16 by means of which it is fastened in its closed position. hen the bolt of this look is retracted and drawer 3 pulled out slightly, the studs 6, 6 are drawn away=fromlevers 7, 7 thereby permitting the springs 14 to raise lock bars 10 far enough to unlock all of the drawers 4 and 5 so that it is unnecessary to open the roll top 2 in order to unlock drawers 4 and 5 as heretofore. As desks of this type have heretofore been constructed it was possible to split the top 2 between two of its rolls with a knife and throw back the rear portion and thereby unlock all of the drawers of the desk, but it will be seen that such is not the case with the construction described.

On the rock shaft 8 are fastened two arms 17, 17 each of which supports a thimble 18 within which is telescopically mounted the lower end of a plunger 19 mounted to slide endwise in guides 20 on frame 1. The lower end of plunger 19 rests upon a spring 21 within thimble 18' while the upper end of said plunger cooperates with a socket 22 provided in the rear bar 23 of the top 2. When master drawer 3 is slid back into its closed position thestuds 6 engage the inclined or beveled ends of levers 7 and swing the latter in opposition to springs 14 in a direction to lower bars 10 into drawer looking positions and at the same time the movement thus imparted to shaft 8 acts through arms 17 and springs 21 to yieldingly force plungers 19 upwardly so that if top 2 then occupies its closed position the upper ends of plungers 19 are carried into sockets 22 thereby locking top 2 closed. If top 2 is not in its closed position when plungers 19 are thus raised then the upper ends of said plungers will be yieldingly held against the inner side of top 2 so that when said top is closed they will be projected into thesockets 22. It will be clear, also, that when master drawer 3 is unlocked and openedto unlock drawers 1 and 5, the plungers 19 will be simultaneously lowered to unlock top 2. The spring 21 permits of drawer 3 being closed while top 2 is in either its open or closed position.

In order to maintain drawers 4: and 5 un looked after the desk has been opened up and at the same time to provide for leaving the drawer 3 in substantially closed position l tion, said latter means being yieldingly I provide a pair of levers 24L fiXed to a rock shaft 25 journaled at its ends in frame 1, said levers being pivotally connected at one end with bar 9 and having their opposite ends arranged to support two vertical plun gers 26 slidably mounted onframe l. The upper ends of the plungers 6 are arranged in the path of the bar 23 of top 2 so that when said top is thrown open said .bar comes into a position immediately above the upper ends of the plungers 26 thereby locking the bars '10 in their uppermost positions with. drawers 4: and 5 unlocked. Of course with the locking mechanisms thus held in their inoperative positions by top 2 the front ends of levers 7 will be held depressed so that drawer3 cannot be completely but can be substantially closed. That is, it can be slid inward until the studs 6 engage the levers 7. V

What I claim is:

ends of 1. Adesk of the character described comprising a tier of drawers; a master drawer; a roll top; means operated by movement of the master drawer for locking the drawers of the tier in their closed positions, and means operated by movement of the master drawer for locking the roll top in its closed position, said latter means being yieldingly mounted to permit operation of the tier locking means without regard to the position of the roll top with respect to its locking means.

2. A desk of the character described comprising a tier of drawers; a master'drawer; a roll top; means operated by movement of the master drawer for locking the drawers of the tierin their'closed positions; means operated by movement of the master drawer for locking the roll top in its closed posimounted to permit operation of the tier locking means without regard to the position of the roll top with respect to its locking means, and means through which the roll top when in its fully open position acts to hold both locking means inoperative.

3. A desk of the character described comprising a drawer, a master drawer, a lock bar slidably mounted in the desk in rear of said drawers, a spring for actuating the lock bar in one direction, a hook carried by said lock bar to engage the drawer, a lever pivotally mounted in the desk and connected to the lock bar, means carried by the master drawer to operate the lever in one direction, a roll top for the desk, a locking member for said roll top, and a yieldable connection intermediate said member and lever.

l. A desk of the character described comprising a drawer, a master drawer, a lock bar slidably mounted in the desk in rear of said drawers, a spring for actuating the lock bar in one direction, a hook carried by said lock bar to engage the drawer, a lever pivotally mounted in the desk and connected to the lock bar. means carried by the master drawer to operate the lever in one direction, a roll top for the desk, a locking member for said roll top, a yieldable connection intermediate said member and lever, and means operatively connected with the lock bar and adapted to be operated by the roll top in the movement of the latter in one direction.

Signed by me at Boston, Mass, this fitteenth day of April, 1912.

J AMES FRANK DUN'LEAVY. lVitnesses Josnrn T. BRENNAN, MARY A. OBRIEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

